Yes, 2012 is a bissextile year, or leap year. February of these years is called an embolismic month, it changes name for some, such as Adar Alef or Adhika Maasa. Marketers have already invested in campaigns to reflect on how one can spend this extra day, like it is a free one. It sure is a bonus, including for the London 2012 crew: 150 days to go. Is anybody celebrating? Or doing anything different, maybe riskier…?
Continuing on from the humble dreamers I mentioned last week, and to underline this 29th. day of February, I am happy to report that the little OrangeFrog is taking a quantum leap forward: Europe had been calling for a while, and now we are not only listening, we are also responding and taking action. Changing the environment and adapting to it: that is the trick, and the idea is the exact opposite concept of KidZania where kids get to work as adults for one day in a preconceived mall-look-alike setting. Stimulation usually comes from the challenge of the unknown, away from an all-formatted setup. Whether I am an adrenaline junkie or not, stress tags along the lack of information, the one that reassures and sometimes sets limits to the mind.
Diego Buñuel’s “Don’t tell my Mother” show translates that leap at any opportunity presented, unscripted and sometimes blunt. This is not opportunism, it is about being Human and curious about Others, discerning the subtleties no book could grasp or define. Taking a chance, and sometimes, sensing an operation feels like a leap in the dark is the very essence of Life. Being gutsy, bold or just plain courageous to do something different brings rewarding feelings, by leaps and bounds. There is no scale to that, as everyone’s experience is different and comparison is futile.
Daring to stand out of one’s comfort zone, now that is the best leap that can be taken. It does not matter if some popular culture sees the leaper as clumsy or insignificant: s/he still has unique talents. So do you, and so do we. Look at Jean Dujardin: he risked many small roles before getting the Oscar for Best Actor this weekend. He might have had luck, he certainly speculated on aimless scenarios before he got to Hollywood. The Artist‘s director, Hazanavicius, had to fight hard to justify for the funding of his silent black and white movie: they both won their own World Cup, just by engaging investors to take a leap of faith with them on what they believed in.
If you are a woman around the British Isles, go and propose to your loved one: why not! If not, keep dreaming, keep creating and keep ignoring what you think your limits are. Leap now, forget the past, let the future unfold at its pace, and go. Neale Walsch says it better than I could: “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.” Leap up to being the Chief Risk Taker of your Life: it is worth every second.